0087 - A designer's journey with Caroline Fox

“In this episode Ben Curran and I talked with Caroline Fox, an independent game designer and the person behind Picture Points. 

The episode was recorded on April 15th, 2021.”

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Hosts: 

Allen Higgins

Ben Curran

Guest: 

Caroline Fox (Game designer, illustrator)

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OPENING 

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[Ben]

Welcome to Game Chats on DesignTalk.

We’re very pleased to have Caroline Fox in to chat with us today, to talk about paths to publication, from paper to production.

To start off with Caroline, tell us about the last couple of games you designed?

(The one that got over the line and one that didn’t)

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•What was the inspiration for Picture Points?

•https://picturepointsgame.com

•The publisher - Moses Verlag https://www.moses-verlag.de - Bücher, Spiele und Geschenke für Groß & Klein

•How did you establish its fun value and playability? 

•In terms of elements and mechanics, would you recommend using modelling engines like Machinations to better understand and balance the game? 

•Did the design undergo thematic pivots, even before the publisher applied their own treatment?

•Along the way you must have had to master a range of skills and knowledge; legalities, printing, assembly, packaging, shipping, import/export, pricing, the retail trade… Are they distractions from design or necessary parts of the process?

•Reflecting on your involvement in videogames, boardgames and tabletop, have you a sense of a repeatable design process, that you would use for your next project?

•The growth in boardgames and tabletop over the last decades has been phenomenal, even with the vast video games industry grabbing the attention. Why do you think tabletop has kept, even grown, its appeal?

•The subtitle for today’s game chat is “Paths to publication, from paper to production”. Do you have any advice on self-publishing versus finding a publisher? What do publishers bring to the party?

•Does the pitch evolve over time?

•How do you find and pitch to publishers these days? Particularly in the era of lockdowns and remote work?

•Which country would you say is an ideal launch market?

•The Essen Spiel, and Gamescom in Köln seem to be must-visit events if you’re a designer living in Europe, or even just into games… The same for E3, PAX in the US and others around the world. Is it necessary for designers to attend gaming conventions and trade events?

•One of our listeners has asked “I imagine that game design is very different from playing a game. For you, as a designer who also plays games, can you talk about the difference between playing and designing.”

•What, for you, are the stand-out games of recent years? Is there one game you consider a masterpiece of design? 

[Ben]

Thank you, Caroline for taking the time to give us your insights on creating games and the business of game design.

We hope you enjoyed the podcast too.

Thank you for listening to the Game Chat on Design Talk (dot ie)

Acknowledgements

Music 

Title: The Great

Artist: Broke For Free

Source: https://bit.ly/18ThHDv

License: CC BY 3.0

Cover Art 

Title: Title Page - The Hand: Pattern Fill, Orange

Artist: Allen Higgins

Source: GameTalk_Fox_InstaSQR.jpg

License: CC BY-NC-SA

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